Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
Before the host country banned alcohol consumption inside and outside the stadiums at the last minute, a solution for the... warehouse of beers supplied by Budweiser for this year's World Cup was finally found.
The company, which has sponsored the World Cup since 1986, announced today that it will donate the beers to the winning country this year.
"New Day, New Tweet. The winning country receives all of the Bud. Who will take home the trophy? "Budweiser tweeted, accompanied by a photo of a warehouse full of beers.
New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them? pic.twitter.com/Vv2YFxIZa1
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 19, 2022
When Qatar and FIFA announced their decision to sell only non-alcoholic beers at official Qatar World Cup venues, the same account tweeted "Well this is awkward." The viral tweet "disappeared" shortly afterward.
FIFA has a $75 million partnership agreement with the American beer company.
Budweiser deleted the tweet. Thats awkward. pic.twitter.com/wZavHlNgLi
— Gjert Moldestad (@gjertm) November 18, 2022
"Headache" for last-minute decision
According to analysts cited by Reuters, the last-minute decision will significantly limit Budweiser's sales in Qatar, but the global campaign to promote the beer will be unaffected.
Analysts believe that if parent company InBev had known ahead of time that only non-alcoholic beer would be permitted, it would have been able to supply Qatar with the appropriate beers on time, potentially making a larger profit.
On the contrary, a last-minute change is unquestionably a 'headache.'
"Budweiser faces an expensive problem: what to do with the beers it has supplied but cannot sell. Contracts throughout its supply chain could be impacted "Elaina Biles, a British lawyer, adds that the beer brand is not being adequately advertised.
It will all depend, of course, on whether Budweiser's contract with FIFA included a clause for "extraordinary change" cases. If no such provision had been made, the 'headache' for FIFA and its lawyers would undoubtedly be greater.
